Power to the Pixel


Power to the Pixel

[su_highlight background="#63A498" color="#FFFFFF"]MARKET[/su_highlight] The success of Instagram and his visual nature attracts celebrity jewellers and exclusive brands.
Originally, the Instagram social network functioned as an entertaining application that showcased a variety of photographs taken on a mobile phone. However, in the past few years, many a jewellery brand have recognised its creative and business potential if used in a clever way. Mainstream and commercial brands were the first to do this kind of "soil probing.” However, starting from 2013 onwards, they have been followed by a number of elite and exclusive jewellers, whose pieces could once only be seen by appointment in a showroom, at a prestigious exhibition or in auction house catalogues. What do they find most appealing about Instagram and what do they expect to gain from this application? To find out, read on…

 

“Instagram is a visual place for visual people to learn, experience and share ideas, passions, and beauty. My world is quite small as my business is very exclusive. So, being part of a much larger community, even if only digitally, is quite fascinating and inspiring. I approach Instagram as I approach my jewellery: I focus on creating and sharing; the rest is for the public to decide,” says Anna Hu, the Taiwan-born private jeweller, whose creations regularly adorn celebrities on the red carpet, including the likes of the actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

 

Suzanne Syz, the Swiss-based exclusive designer famed for her unconventional and even humorous approach to jewellery, showcases her pieces at prestigious jewellery fairs like Masterpiece London. One can also make an appointment at her showroom in Geneva. Since June 2013 Suzanne has begun sharing her creations on Instagram; this has afforded her followers a glimpse into her creative world. “I believe Instagram is both a business tool and something fun. At first I used it for pleasure, but it turned out to be a business tool as well and we got some new clients through the platform. The strength of Instagram is that a picture is so easy to analyse, you can pass a message or get the information about people or brands you follow in a second,” says Suzanne.

 

Indeed, Instagram is the favourite application of more than 400 million users, who are based in various parts of the world and belong to different social classes. The proportion of wealthy people on Instagram, who can afford to buy even the most exquisite piece of jewellery, as opposed to other social networks, is quite high. The reason probably is that Instagram meets their requirements as a straightforward application, while ensuring fast delivery of information that is of interest to them and, most importantly, privacy (to create a profile, minimum data is required and an account can be made private so that only authorised recipients can view your images).

The prestigious German jeweller Hemmerle began using Instagram, its only social media account, in June 2014. According to Christian Hemmerle, Instagram has become a global platform to engage with new audiences, including curators and collectors, art and jewellery lovers as well as connoisseurs. “Through our curated posts, one is able to discover and learn more about our four generations of craftsmanship, dedication to exceptional quality and use of innovative material combinations; some of the various aspects that describe our unostentatious, unique creations. Each post for us is the beginning of a story, which we invite people to absorb, enjoy and interact with. For Hemmerle, the biggest asset on Instagram is the strength of the image; it is the most significant element for user interaction,” adds Christian.

Even now, after using Instagram for many years, many brands perceive this platform to be a mere ‘shop window’ or brand catalogue and only upload professional pack-shot jewellery images. However, according to Avanti Goenka, the daughter of the Mumbai-based elite jewellery designer, Bina Goenka, it is not enough to increase the number of followers. Avanti stresses how one has to keep people interested in the brand and encourage them to keep on coming back to their Instagram account.

“You have to be very clever about what you put on Instagram and play around to understand what works best for you. For us, mixing the content, showcasing jewellery, sketches or my mother’s photos is the best way to gain a higher level of engagement. A brand should keep surprising its followers, which means investing time and effort in having a beautiful and engaging account. It does pay off eventually. In fact, in December, we sold 11 significant pieces in one single order via our Instagram account,” says Avanti •

 

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Bigger, Stronger Instagram’s monthly user base has grown from 90 million in January 2013 to 400 million in September 2015. As of January 2016, Instagram is considered the fifth most important social platform for business.

 

 

 

Keep It Short According to Simply Measured, there’s little correlation between caption length and engagement rate.

 

 

 

Where Are Ü Now Adding a location to posts results in 79% higher engagement according to Statista and Sprout Social.

 

 

 

Born in the USA According to Statista, as of April 2016, the greatest share of desktop traffic to Instagram was from the United States (19.97%) and Russia (7.65%).

 

 

 

 

 

Text by Katerina Perez


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